I've got to find a new place to live! I live in Kentucky - like the tobacco capital. Last year our city council passed an ordinance banning smoking in all public establishments. After much ado, it took effect earlier this year. In their infinite wisdom, they neglected to put enough into this ordinance to effectively enforce it such that 'almost' all public places are smoke free, but some bars would rather take a chance and pay the fines rather than lose the patrons (Many community pubs, etc. closed altogether). Smoker or not, I've fought this issue all the way. I've always felt it should be a right of a business owner to decide such things for themselves. If the city wanted to intervene, they should issue license much like liquor. It would mean more money for the city (and wouldn't have ended in the raise in taxes again this year), it would lead to fewer pubic smoking establishments since many businesses wouldn't apply for such a license. And, those businesses that do want to have smoking - like our now closed cigar bar - could have the right of free enterprise. But I digress...
This morning on the radio, the local DJs started in on one of their 'usual' discussions of news. They were going off about a new ban effective at midnight this morning that now extended this ban to "all passengers, including drivers, in all vehicles". They said that our newly elected council (yeah, we voted most of the old ones out last week) passed this by a 80% margin last night. I knew that our ordinances never go into effect literally overnight, yet the council has done some shady things before (which I won't even begin...). So, half of my morning is spent trying to get the minutes to last nights meeting. The web site was down, no one downtown would answer the phone... It was on the noon radio show that a retraction was issued from the station and the morning DJs will likely be fired for their farce.
On a further note, we pay taxes to the federal, state, and local government. We pay extra taxes for our state and cities mistakes and scandals over and over. After an increase in their fee just months ago, our trash collection has been reduced from twice to once per week (and won't let us recycle glass bottles unless we haul them ourselves). I've been through nine Obgyns in the last five years because the doctors can't afford the ninety thousand dollar per year insurance. And worst of all, our 'open minded' citizens just voted to amend our state constitution to provide that a marriage shall be defined as 'between one man and one woman' - excluding all else.
Perhaps I'm just having a bad day, but does anyone live in, or know of a place with less shit than this?
added notes: our local news just announced that a local police officer, who was speeding in his cruiser without lights or sirens and hit and killed a woman, has been charged with speeding and reckless driving and will resume normal duties immediately. And, our mayor is now spending our taxpayer money to sue the radio station regarding this mornings prank smoking ban.
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